Freewheels have quite a few mechanical compromises which is why Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo ceased using them for anything beyond 7 speed. Eight speed and higher freewheels are very rare and quite expensive and the assumption is that unless you have a very specific use case you'll be using a freehub and cassette and in such a case you are likely to be aware of this - as you are in your case.
Changing rear bicycle wheels
- Thread starter London Commuter 2019
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I had seen 8 speed advertised, but not 9. Quite a lot of "overhang" in the axle ...
Ajax Bay
Guru
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Interesting. What is the OLN of the hub that the 9sp freewheel fits on?
From Sheldon:
"8 Speeds
In the early 1990s, the industry moved to 8-speed clusters with 130 mm spacing. 8-speeds were available in both freewheel and cassette hubs. As it turned out, the increased length of un-supported axle sticking out from the right side of the hub was just too long for traditional 10 mm threaded axles. 8-speed freewheels were sold for several years, but a very large percentage of the riders who bought them wound up having problems with axle breakage/bendage. As a result, 8-speed freewheels eventually pretty much disappeared from the market."
How do 'new' e-bike wheels mitigate that risk?
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And that's the problem with higher sprocket freewheels as there is no bearing support underneath the outer edge of the unit - with a freehub design there are bearing far further apart meaning that there is greater stability of the axle. Even lower sprocket count freewheels are prone to wobble because of this - I dread to think how bad a 9 speed freewheel would be.
That was my thinking.
